What Sci-Fi Movies Get Wrong About Cars

Automotive advancements are hard to predict. Who could have guessed a search giant like Google would invent a driverless car? Science-fiction movies have depicted how future cars will work starting with Metropolis way back in 1927. Here's what they missed.

Blade Runner (1982)

Blade Runner (1982)

Vehicle: UnknownSet in: 2019

Spoiler alert: You may or may not like the alternative ending to Blade Runner, which seems to reveal that Deckard was a replicant all along. He drives off into the sunset, literally, with a replicant. They chitchat about the future.

As for the car, it looks convincing. Still, automotive experts might cry foul. For starters, the Harrison Ford character barely pays attention to the road—but he’s still using a steering wheel. First of all, pay attention to where you're driving, Deckard. And second, by 2019, car companies like Cadillac, Audi, and Ford will do the driving for us. Even today driverless shuttles like the Navia don’t bother with a steering wheel.

Demolition Man (1993)

Demolition Man (1993)

Vehicle: General Motors UltraliteSet in: 2032

In this sci-fi actioner with Sylvester Stallone, a cop is catapulted into the future. The police force drive around in the GM Ultralite concept car. When Sandra Bullock’s character decides to drive on her own, she says "self-drive on," and a steering wheel enlarges to fit her hands.

Some nice future tech there. What’s less impressive is the array of screens, including one on the wheel, to the side, and in the dash. Future vehicles will simplify the in-car displays. We’ll speak instructions to them (the movie included that innovation) and focus on the road . . . for at least as long as humans are allowed to drive.